Yarning Circle

Exploring Indigenous Australian History

This Australian Curriculum English lesson plan explores the topic of the Stolen Generations, which is a part of Australian indigenous history. It is a period in the 1900s where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children were wrongly removed from their families by the Australian Government, disrupting First Nations communities and causing untold trauma that still affects First Nations people today. The Stolen Generations topic should be approached with extreme sensitivity and have opportunities for respectful collaboration with both student families and local elders and First Nations communities. It is recommended that emotional support strategies for teachers, students and families are in place and visible before beginning this topic. This Stolen Generations lesson plan can align with additional learning throughout nationally recognised dates such as, Sorry Day, National Reconciliation Week or NAIDOC Week.

Learning Objectives of This Stolen Generations Lesson Plan

Level 1

Describe the effects of the Stolen Generations on First Nations groups

Level 2

Critically reflect on the events surrounding the Stolen Generations and the ongoing impact on First Nations groups today

Australian Curriculum English Links

Interacting with others

• Use appropriate interaction skills including paraphrasing and questioning to clarify meaning, make connections to own experience, and present and justify an opinion or idea (AC9E5LY02)

Creating texts

• Plan, create, edit, and publish written and multimodal texts whose purposes may be imaginative, informative and persuasive, using paragraphs, a variety of complex sentences, expanded verb groups, tense, topic-specific and vivid vocabulary, punctuation, spelling and visual features (AC9E6LY06)

Teacher Material Needed

Access to the following resources about The Stolen Generations:

• Bringing them home resources
• Healing Foundation resources
• Stolen Generations Common Ground
• Florence Onus’ story
• Other case studies of affected people

Introducing the Topic of The Stolen Generations

1. Introduce the topic of the Stolen Generations, facilitating discussions to discern any existing knowledge, thoughts, or ideas about Indigenous Australian history.
2. Describe the policies and thinking that led to the Stolen Generations: In the 1900s many Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander children were forcibly removed from their families because the Australian government wrongly believed that it would make their lives better to grow up in white families. Children were considered more adaptable than adults and the government believed they could make these children forget about their families, allowing First Nations Peoples to ‘die out.’ These policies have had a devastating impact both on the people who were taken away from their families, their following generations and their communities.
3. Listen to Florence Onus’ story of her experience as a class, encouraging students to record their thoughts and feelings as they listen.
4. Discuss students’ thoughts and ideas about the clip.
5. Listen to Florence Onus’ story of her experience as a class, encouraging students to record their thoughts and feelings as they listen.
6. Discuss students’ thoughts and ideas about the clip.
7. As a class or in small groups, research the statistics of the ongoing impacts of the Stolen Generations with one or all of the following resources:

   Bringing them home resources

   Healing Foundation resources

   Stolen Generations Common Ground

8. Explain the task: to plan and produce a class podcast series covering this part of Australian Indigenous history to teach others about the Stolen Generations and the impact this period of Australia’s history has on First Nations Peoples of Australia both then and now. Discuss the importance of sensitivity, respect and empathy when reporting on traumatic historical events and generate some strategies students can use to approach the task, e.g. including a disclaimer at the beginning of each podcast episode warning any First Nations listeners of the content, not publishing the podcast in the public space due to a lack of express permission from First Nations groups, etc.

Learning Activity 1: Creating a Podcast Episode About the Stolen Generations

1. In small groups, students plan their Stolen Generations podcast episode. Each episode will have the following features:
   1. Introduction
   2. Specific focus, for example, government policies which led to the Stolen Generations, individual stories or experiences, ongoing impact for First Nations communities, statistics relating to the Stolen Generations, etc.
   3. Additional information about the Stolen Generations and supporting evidence, for example an audio clip from these case studies
   4. An interview section
   5. A summary section
   6. A ‘hopes for the future’ section.
2. Students may decide which role they wish to take on in the group, or work together to cover the roles of researcher, producer, audio technician and presenter.
3. Ensure groups have adequate time to plan out their podcast episode, creating a script or storyboard as appropriate.
4. Facilitate discussions about ethical considerations, cultural sensitivity, and the importance of representing the experiences of affected individuals and communities respectfully and accurately

Learning Activity 2: Recording and Editing a Podcast Episode

1. Provide students with podcasting equipment and support as they record and produce their podcast episodes. Depending on the student's age and ability, you may choose to use an online recording platform such as Riverside.fm or basic audio recording app on a digital device.
2. If appropriate encourage students to interview members of local First Nations communities, Elders, or experts on the Stolen Generations to gather insights and perspectives.
3. Guide students in editing their podcast episodes as necessary, ensuring that they communicate information effectively and sensitively. It may be appropriate to seek the support of your local community Elders to provide their perspective on how information has been presented when reviewing each episode.

Lesson Wrap-Up and Reflection on This Part of Australian Indigenous History

1. Facilitate opportunities for students to listen to and reflect on each other's podcast episodes, providing feedback and constructive criticism.
2. As a class, pitch your podcast series to the schools' leadership team as a learning resource covering the topic of the Stolen Generations that can be accessed by the school community in a central location, for example, your school intranet.
3. Encourage students to reflect on their own learning and growth throughout the project, considering their understanding of the Stolen Generations and their ability to communicate complex issues through podcasting.
4. Finish the project with a discussion of the following question: how can we make sure something like this never happens again? Record student thoughts and ideas, focusing on the importance of collaboration with community and respectful relationships.